Carburetor



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. K. SUMERWELL.

' GARBURETGR. No. 359,646. Patented Mar. 22, 1887.

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(No Model.) 2' Sheets-8heet 2.

E K. SUMERWELL.

GARBURETOR. No. 359,646. Patented Mar. 22, 1887.

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EDWARD K. SUMERW'ELL, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

CARBURETOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,646, dated March22, 1887.

Application filed January 4, 1886. Serial No. 187,547.

.To aZZwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD K. SUMER- WELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Oovington, in the county of Kenton and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCarburetors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this spccification.

My invention relates to improvements in gas machines in which gas isproduced by carbureting air by passing it over or incontact withgasoline, or some such substance, by

which the vapors arising from it are taken up by and mingled with theair, producing a gas adapted for illuminating or heating purposes.

It consists in constructing the carburetor so that the heaviest portionof the gasoline, from which the most valuable portion of the gas hasalready been taken, shall always be in the bottom pan, and so regulatingand controlling the flow of air that the fresh air always comes first incontact with the most exhausted or impoverished part of the gasoline,when itis in condition to work more effectively upon it for absorbingwhat gas remains.

It also consists in so regulating the flow that the supply of gas can betaken entirely from one of the bottom pans, which under ordinarycircumstances would be the least rich, or en tirely from the upperricher pans or compartments, or partly from both, mingled in suchproportion as to produce the best quality of gas, by which means thequality of gas may always be regulated, regardless of the varyingconditions and circumstances.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my machine.Fig. 2 is a top and side view of the overflow connecting the differentpans or compartments of the carburetor. Fig. 3 is a three-way cock forcontrolling the supply and regulating the quality of the gas. Fig. 4 isaside elevation of the carburetor in section, showing the connectionsand pipes. Fig. 5 is a crosssection of a compartment, showing the mannerof hanging the wicking. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 7 isa top or plan view of the dialplate and indicator.

(No model.)

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts inall the figures.

It is very important that the flow of air through the carburetor shouldbe as constant as possible. For that pupose I arrange two bellows sideby side,.one of which is shown at A, Fig. 1. The outer sides of thebellows are stationary, the bottom one, A, being fastened to. thesupport, and the upper one held rigid by the brace c. g A partition, 13,separates the bellows into two chambers, and is arranged to move up ordown. The mouth of the bellows enters a valve-chamber, G. Thisvalvechamberis divided into two parts by a partion, and supplied withvalves so arranged that as the middle partition of the bellows movesdown and forces air out of the lower half of the bellows into thecarburetor the upper half fills with air drawn through the valve-chamberO, and as it is forced up the air driven from the upper half is forcedinto the carburetor, while the lower half sucks in air through thevalve-chamber O.

If the bellows worked alternately, or both together, there would be apoint at which the pressure of air or blast would cease for an instant,which might cause a flicker of the gas.

To avoid thisI applythe power which is to operate the bellows to adouble-crank shaft, G, with two arms or cranks, G and G". These cranksor arms'are at right angles or at quarter-turn from one another, so thatthe reverse movement in one bellows will always take place while theother is in full motion, so that there never is a point at which thereis not a complete and full blast, thus absolutely preventing anyflicker.

, Power for operating the bellows is applied bythe weight H. I The cordit passes overpulleys I I, and is wound on a cylinder, J. At one end ofthis cylinder is a cog-wheel, K, rotating loosely on the same shaft, andprovided on one side with a small ratchet-wheel. (Not shown.)Spring-pawls on the end of the cylinder J engage with the ratchet-wheel,so that as the cylinder rotates to unwind the cord h the cog-wheel K isturned. This cog-wheel meshes with a smaller wheel, K, keyed on the L isa crank or lever for turning the cylinder J to wind up the rope h.

The force or pressure of the blast is regulated in the usual way by therelative size of the cog-wheels, number and proportion of the sheaves,and the weight, 810. A governor may also be provided in the pipe F, ifdesired. By this means a constant nnvarying blast of air is alwaysmaintained.

The carburetor M is divided into a number of horizontal compartments orchambers and a bottom residuum-pan, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Thesecompartments are all connected by overflow-tubes O O, which serve alsofor the passage of the gas, and are all provided with a number ofpartitions or guides, so that the air, entering at one side, passes in azigzag course, traversing the breadth of the carburetor a number oftimes, so as to bring the entire amount of air in contact with everypart of the gasoline contained in the chambers. All the compartments areprovided with wicking of the usual character, its object being to takeup by capillary attraction the gasoline, spreading it over a largesurface,and thus more effectually exposing it to the action of the airand giving a large evaporatingsurface. This wicking is suspended fromthe top of each pan by a wire, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in which thewires V V are soldered to the top of the pan at the middle, leaving theends free. The winking Q is suspended from the wires in folds, as shownin Figs. 5 and 6, either in narrow strips or in broad strips, asillustrated. When broad strips are used, corresponding in width with thelength of the wire-support, the wicking islaid over the wires, a smallhole being cut at the middle of each wire. The wircsare then soldered tothe top at the middle, and the wicking is held in place.

The gasoline is poured in through the supply-pipe N, which extends aboveor to the surface of the ground. It first enters the top pan, P, Fig. 4.\Vhen that pan is nearly full, or the gasoline rises to the top of theoverflow 0, it flows into the second pan, P, and so on down to theresiduum-pan 1 This overflow is so constructed that the heavier or lowerportion of the gasoline flows through it into the next lower pan. Itconsists of a double tube, as shown in Fig. 2, the outer chamber, 0,being open at the bottom, as seen at 0, and extending above the top ofthe partition-wall 0. The heavy gasoline is at the bottom, and as thepan is filled this heavier portion is forced up in the chamber 0 untilit flows over the partition 0 into the next lower compartment or pan. Bythis arrangement the top pan always contains the lightest, richest,freshest gasoline, the quality growing poorer with each lower pan untilthe bottom pan contains the poorest or most impoverished portion orresiduum. There is no part of this gasoline which will not volatilizeand produce a supply of gas; but as it becomes heavy and impoverished itvolatilizes much more slowly and sluggishly. If the air were admitted tothe carburetor and allowed to pass freely through all the pans orcompartments, it would quickly absorb gas from the more volatilegasoline in the upper chambers, and, becoming saturated, little or nogas would be taken from the heavy poor residuum in the bottom, and inthe course of time the lower pans would become filled with heavy poorstock, the efficiency of the machine materially reduced, and the supplyand quality ofgas diminished. Itis necessary, therefore, to attack theresiduum in he lower pan with fresh air which has not been at allsaturated with gas and whose absorbing powers are at the highest; but ifthe air is confined to the lower pans the supply and quality of the gaswould be very nnreliable. In hot weather the air might take up enoughgas to make it efficient, but in cold weather it would absorb verylittle. It is necessary, therefore, to regulate and control the flow ofair into the carburetor and of gas out of it. I therefore introduce thefresh air into the residuum-pan P by the pipe F, where it is caused tofollow a zigzag course. The air, being fresh and unsaturated,will absorba considerable quantity of gas from this residuum, which it would nottake up had it become partially saturated. From this pan it passesthrough the tube or overflow O to the next pan above, which I call thebottom gaschamber, where it passes through the wicks, absorbing stillmore gas, and so on to the top pan. Of course the richest gas is alwaysin the top chamber. Just at the overflow-pipe 0, connecting theresiduum-pan with the bottom gas-cliamber,isa gas or exit pipe, S. iVhenthe other exit from the carburetor is closed, the gas forced up from theresiduumpau will naturally pass at once into the pipe S before it hastraversed the gas-chamber. This pipe passes up to the three-way cock atT, Fig. 6. (Shown more enlarged at Fig. 5.) Also opening into thechamber of this three-way cock is a pipe, R, connected with the pipe N,and through it with the top pan, 1. This threeway cock T can be adjustedso as to open the connection between the pipe S and the service-pipe Z,which conveys the gas to the burners, and close all connection betweenthe pipes Z and R; or it can be turned to open the connection between Zand R, closing the connection between Z and S; or it may be turned toany intermediate point. \Vhen it is turned so as to connect the pipesSand Z, the supply of gas is taken entirely from the bottom gas-chamberat the inlet from the residuum-chambcr-that is, the air which has passedover only the heaviest, poorest gasoline. This is often rich enough tosupply a gas of the requisite quality. As it becomes more and moreimpoverished, however, the gas becomes poor. The cock Tis then turned toadmit to the pipe Z more or less of the rich gas drawn from the top pan,P, thus enriching the gas drawn from the bottom pan. By this means thegas-supply maybe taken entirely from the gas-chambers or entirely fromthe residuum-pan, .or part from each, as circumstances require. Thequality of the gas can thus always be regulated, and'I am enabled thusto bring the fresh air always into contact first with the poorest.gasoline, thus making the absorption more complete and using up all theresiduum, which would otherwise be worthless and have to be removed fromthe carburetor.

extends above the ground. The upper end of The cock T is operated by arod, W, which the rod is bent at a right angle to form a finger orindicator upon the dial-plate W. When the indicator is turned to theleft to the word Rich, the cock is opened between pipesR and Z only.When turned to the right to the word Poor, the cock is open between thepipes S and Z only. When it stands in the middle of the dial, it isopened half-way, so that the flow is equally divided between the twopipes S and B. By this means the rich and poor gas may be mingled tionhas ever before been devised that has been provided with means forutilizing the gas generated in either the residuum pan alone or in thegas-chamber alone, or in both together, at the will of the operator.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination,with a carburetor hav-. ing a residuum-pan at its bot-tom and a seriesof gas-chambers above said pan and in communication therewith and witheach other by overflow-pipes, of a supply-pipe communicating with theupper gas'ehamber, an air-inlet pipe communicating with theresiduum-pan, an outlet-pipe leading from the lowergaschamber, and aservice-pipe in communication with the outlet-pipe, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a carburetor constructed as above described, a supply-pipecommunicating with the upper gas-chamber, an air-inlet pipe leading tothe residuum-pan, an outlet-pipe leading from the lower'gas-chamber, abranch pipe on the supply-pipe, a service-pipe, a three-way pipe forconnecting the outlet branch and service pipes, and a three-way cock inthe three-way pipe for governing the flow of gas through the pipes, thewhole combined in the manner set forth.

' EDWARD K. SUMERXVELL.

Witnesses:

EDWARD W. Rnoron, OTTO RICHTER.

